Volkswagen Touran

Our verdict

The Volkswagen Touran is a sensible but charisma-free MPV. Shaped like a box to eke out the most space.

Comfort

The ride is nicely supple without being sick-makingly floaty, and among the compact MPVs the Touran offers excellent space and great seats. For the driver, the best bits are a comfy driving position and a good view out.

Performance

Volkswagen's plucky little 1.4TSi does good work in the Touran, so if you want petrol go for that. Most people will have a diesel though, and the two mid-rangers, at 105 and 140bhp, will probably be the ticket.

Cool

The Touran looks like a fridge, and is as cool as a fridge. Not literally, of course.

Quality

There are some rough edges around the seat mountings and the lower dash, but basic quality isn't too bad. Good for the class, slightly off-form by VW standards.

Handling

The Touran is soggy and a bit van-like, but of course perfectly safe. Remember, these chassis underpinnings serve a huge array of different VW models and are therefore more completely developed than Jordan's chest.

Practicality

There are seven separate seats, and the rears fold right into the floor. Loads of sliding options let you juggle people according to their size. The cabin is dotted with handy storage compartments too. It's all carefully conceived to ease the travails of family transport.

Running costs

Costs are pretty well contained in the Touran. You'll be hovering somewhere around Passat levels of spending.